Nestle rolls out first sub-brand of Maggi to appeal to ‘young adults’

Besides the new variants of Maggi noodles, Nestle is in the process of launching variants of its chocolate brands KitKat and Munch and beverages Nescafe and Nestea.Ratna Bhushan | ET Bureau | June 20, 2016, 14:27 IST

Foods maker Nestle India has rolled out the first sub-brand of its 2-minute noodles Maggi under the name Hot Heads.NEW DELHI:oods maker Nestle India has rolled out the first sub-brand of its 2-minute noodles Maggi under the name Hot Heads, as it looks to widen the consumption base of its mainstay snack brand. The Hot Heads range addresses young adults who like to experiment with different tastes, Nestle chairman Suresh Narayanan told ET on Monday.

With the Hot Heads range, the number of Maggi noodles variants has doubled from six to 12. “We are addressing young adults in a very direct, concerted way, for the first time. The new flavours under the Hot Heads range, like peri peri, for example, are not for children. These are for adults, and for those who like spicy food,” Narayanan said.

Besides the new variants of Maggi noodles, Nestle is in the process of launching variants of its chocolate brands KitKat and Munch, beverages Nescafe and Nestea, and dairy products such as yogurts and milk. “The focus is on multiple products across existing categories, not just on noodles,” he said.

Maggi’s share in the instant noodles category has topped 50%, though this is significantly lower than what it was before the brand was hit by controversy last June. Nestle had to withdraw its flagship brand from stores the same time last year after national food regulator Food Safety & Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) alleged that Maggi noodles contained higher-than-permissible lead content and mislabelling of flavour enhancer monosodium glutamate. The brand returned to stores in last November, after a five month absence. The ban by FSSAI had resulted in the India arm of the Swiss foods maker reporting a 17.2% decline in net sales for the year ended December 2015 and its first loss in three decades in the April-June quarter of 2015.